My College Experience
by Tuskafel
Summary: So far non-couple story. AU - This story is about my college life, when four familar people show up. Are they really the GW guys? They say they aren't, but I dunno...
1. College Experience

Disclaimer: Anything that's in here is probably not mine, including Gundam wing, it's characters, DBZ, and Pepsi. There are other things in here too, but I'd rather not name them all. Soo anything that's brand name or already copyright isn't mine…… Ok that's it. 

* * *

Hey me again. This time I'm telling the story of me and my newest college buddies. And by the location of this fic you can easily guess who they are. 

I was wandering around the campus, when I spied someone sitting under my favorite studying tree. Determined to find out who this perpretrator of my special place was, I stopped dead in my tracks as I discovered that the boy sitting there looked exactly like Duo Maxwell from 'Gundam Wing.' Amazed by the resemblance I continued to approach him, but with a different intent, to make friends.   
"Excuse me," I ventured, "hi, my name's Jessica."   
"Hi," the boy smiled back at me, "my name's Duo."   
"Seriously," I questioned as I sat down beside him.   
"Seriously," he responded looking at me strangly.   
"I'm sorry. But you look just like the cartoon character," I half laughed at myself, "you even have the same name."   
"Oh, don't worry about that," he smiled with a glint of familiar mischief in his eye, "I get that all the time from other people."   
"Really? That's got to be rather annoying."   
"Not really, it makes making friends that much easier." We both laughed as I discovered that's exactly what had just happened between us.   
"What are you studying?"   
"CGI programing."   
"No kidding," I smiled, "that's the course I'm taking. Do you need help catching up?"   
"That would be great," he said with a sigh, "I hate trying to catch up without help."   
With that I spent my afternoon with Duo helping him catch up and aiding him in our class. Finally someone agreed with me that our teacher resembled 'the ox king' (DBZ) and knew who I meant. Concluding our class he invited me to join him and his friends out to dinner, of course I was too delighted to refused and had a really good idea who his friends were. I was not disappointed. Heero showed up first, Duo introduced him as his best friend.   
"I hope your more entertainning then your cartoon counterpart," I said, but immediatly regretted it, "I'm so sorry, that was awefully rude of me."   
"Don't be," he smiled politely as he shook my hand, "I often get that response and end up apoligizing for a character I didn't created."   
"Don't apologize to me," I smiled, "I was just curious."   
We had no sooner sat down and ordered drinks that Trowa and Quatre walked in. To my amazement Trowa's hair was actually staying like it does on the cartoon. Trowa laughed at my amazement and once again I heard they hear it all the time. By this time I was red with embarressment, I felt awkward, which was the last thing I ever expected to feel around these guys. Just as Duo decided to do his Vegeta impression, to everyone elses displeasure, when Wufei finally decided to grace us with his presence.   
"Where were you?" Duo said accusingly.   
"Yeah we have someone we want you to meet," Quatre continued pointed to me.   
"Sorry," Wufei apoligized, "the college office had me tied up with rooming details."   
"Really?" Heero put forward.   
"You all had rooming partners already," he complained, "I had to take 'available space'."   
"Are you ready to order?" the waiter had suantered up and was right now annoyed that our party had taken so long to assemble.   
"Yeah, I think," Duo said looking around the table for approval.   
"Six plates of spaggetti," Quatre piped up, "what are you guys having?"   
"That's everything," Trowa concluded as we all laughed at Quatre.   
"And a martini," Wufei spoke up as the waiter disappeared.   
"That bad," Heero asked.   
"They've shacked me up with some onna," Wufei complained as his martini arrived.   
"What's her name?"   
"Bet she's cute."   
"Jessica Ballen," Wufei stated reading the form he halled from his pocket.   
"Umm..."   
"That would be me," I replied a little taken aback, "nice to meet you. Excuse me."   
"Jessica," Duo said trying to stop me as I left the table for the bathroom, "he didn't mean anything."   
"Wufei's just an asshole," Trowa said trying to help, but just recieving a glare from Wufei and a smack on the arm from Quatre.   
"Great," Duo said exhasperated, "you drove her away you jerk."   
"How was I supposed to know it was her," Wufei said trying to defend himself.   
"You could show a little more compassion towards women," Heero decided to join the bashing ceremony.   
Meanwhile in the bathroom, I was not heartbroken or hurt or whatever they're thinking I am, I was just so excited that I needed a minute to compose myself. I mean come on Chang Wufei is going to be spending the rest of the year with me, in my dorm room.   
WOOPIEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!   
Oh God that means I'll have to clean or he'll see how messy I am, shit! Wait calm down and get out there, you have an advantage, he thinks your crushed. How to work this to my advantage...? Okay, get back out there!!!! As I make my way back to the table, the spagetti has already arrived and the bashing has ceased to between mouthfuls.   
"Guess it didn't take long to cook," I said, trying to sound sad.   
"Are you okay," Duo asked swallowing a giant mouthful.   
"Why wouldn't I be," I said, picking up my fork. Heero nudged Wufei in the side, violently enough to make him choke on his pasta.   
"Look I'm sorry," Wufei said trying to sound sincere, "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."   
"And if I wasn't her would you be saying the same thing," I asked feeling a bit smuge.   
"Well yes," Wufei stuttered. Of course no one else believed him and gave him a look (not the deathglare that's reserved for special occasions). "Okay, no."   
After dinner, we all began to enjoy ourselves much more and they were surprised to find me quite unhurt. We talked for hours about stuff, nothing about ourselves though they all seemed to avoid that subject. I knew enough already about them that it didn't really matter. Heero offered to drive us all back to the campus in his car (SWEET, Tiburon). Of course we all agreed. Seating was fun; Duo, Heero and I were up front leaving Wufei, Trowa and Quatre in the back. The ride was going smoothly, Heero has great tunes in his car, when Duo saw some cute girls coming up the road. Duo, being the way he is, tells Heero to slow down. He does so and as soon as we passed those girls, Duo rolled down the window and mooned them. Needlesss to say the rest of us hit the floor.   
"Duo, **WHAT THE HELL!!!**"   
"Put that away!!!!"   
"No one wanted to see that."   
"Heero why did you slow down?"   
As we continued down the road and Duo took his butt out of the window, I couldn't stop laughing. I thought for a second if I didn't stop Duo and Heero were going to get very mad at me.   
"What's so funny?" Duo said as my laughter began to calm.   
"This is exactly the kind of thing my friends and I always talked about."   
"Your friends talked about Duo mooning people?"   
"I'd say you guys have problems."   
"No, I meant like me hanging out with you guys," I said sounding as serious as I could manage, "kinda like alot of fan fics we wrote."   
"You mean you're one of those really obsessed people," Duo looked at me in surprise.   
"Well yeah, but not too much any more," I replied with a sigh.   
"Why not," said Wufei finding this turn of conversation interesting.   
"Cuz my friends are miles away," I said, "and no one here is that into Gundam Wing that they write about it."   
"Well it's a good thing we came along then," Duo said putting his arm around me. Duo's sentiments were reciprecated by the cars other occupants with 'here here's and head rubbing that messed up my hair beyond belief.   
"Thanks, conforming to the norm really isn't my thing," I said trying to smooth out my hair, "I'd rather be one of the guys any day then go talk about them while putting on make up."   
"Not all girls are like that," Quatre put in.   
"Trying to defend the weaker sex again," Wufei said.   
"Hey," I growled as I hit him, "I'm still sorta one of them you know."   
"Here we are."   
Heero pulled into the campus driveway and parked in the designated area. We piled out and continued to the dorms. I checked my watch, 10:54, just in time for curfew. Duo and Quatre were rooming on the second floor, but Trowa and Heero were on the fourth floor with Wufei and I.   
Oh shit, that's right the room, well he'll just think I'm messy that's all. I put the key in the door and opened to reveal my 'living space.'   
"Well, it's not much, but I like it," I gritted through my teeth. As I flicked on the light I immediately regretted it. The room was a mess my paper were all over the room (I mean everywhere including the walls), my computer had been left on with Two-Mix playing softly and my greatly celebrated piled of laundry (I'm the only one that can tell what's clean or dirty) that covered or should I say buried Wufei's bed.   
"Well it's smaller then I expected."   
"Yeah kinda," I said as I picked up an armload of papers and began to 'clean off' Wufei's bed, "your desk is also buried here somewhere. Probably under my enssence burning junk, and books."   
"Expanding your spirits," Wufei read off the title of one of the books.   
"Yeah, I'm kinda in to that whole inner spirit, meditation junk."   
"It's not junk," Wufei stated in a manner that suggested he took the remark personally, "it helps to clear the mind and expand your inner self."   
"Yeah it's fun, I'm trying to reach this thing they keep talking about," I said wandering off on a tangent, "but I can never quite reach that spot."   
"Maybe I could give you a hand with that."   
"That would be great." Not knowing what really to say we stood there awkwardly until the floor monitor came to tell us 'lights out'.   
"Well we better get going to bed."   
"Yup."   
"Excuse me," Wufei picked up some of his things and left the room. I got ready for bed in my usual pajamas, (not that I knew this I the time, but it's a really sexy nightgown) a chemise that fell off on shoulder and touched just below my knees. Wufei had to stop and do a double take before he recognized me, but I hadn't noticed he had walked into the room yet.   
"Ahem."   
"Oh, come in," I stuttered as I pulled the chemise back up over both soulders, but it immediately fell off the other shoulder. Wufei looked pretty sexy too, wearing a cute tanktop and boxer ensemble.   
"Well goodnight," he said turning out the light.   
"Goodnight," I replied, but my mind was racing with too many ideas, questions and old friends that I had a hard time sleeping. But somehow I managed it. Dressing that morning was rather odd and I think I scared Duo. As Duo came upstairs to grab me for class, he found Wufei and I cleaning the room in a rather similar outfit. We were both wearing a style of navy tanktop, Wufei was wearing white pants and I was wearing white shorts, to top it all off I had my hair pulled back in much the same fashion as Wufei had.   
"Class..." was the only word Duo was able to force himself to utter. Panicking I dropped the clothes on the floor, grabbed my books and took off grabbing Duo by the wrist as I went. Ahh class, not as boring experience as it was in elementary or high school. Helping Duo made class go by faster any way, but the giggling was a little more then I planned on.   
"Is there something humorous about my lesson you would like to share, Maxwell," the teacher said looking down his nose at Duo.   
"No sir," Duo said shrinking back into his seat. All conversation thus was brought to an end, but after class was a different story.   
"Mr. Maxwell," the teacher to spoke to him after the rest of the class had left, "I wish you wouldn't be so boisterous in my class, others are trying to learn."   
"No problem," Duo said, "I was just trying to keep up with the rest of the class, but it ended up with humorous results."   
"See that it doesn't happen again please," the teacher said concluding the conversation. I was standing on the other side of the door waiting patiently for Duo. As the teacher exited he gave me one of those 'keep away from that one, he's trouble' looks and continued down the hall. Duo emerged after a rather humbler version of himself.   
"Come on," I said trying to make him feel better, "let's go pick up the others for lunch."   
"Quatre's probably cooking it," Duo grinned returning to his normal self once again. Which he was correct in his assumption, Quatre had signed on for the professional cooking course and had made quite the gormet lunch. It took the three of us to carry it out under the tree where Heero, Trowa and Wufei were waiting.   
"Good book," I asked Trowa who hadn't looked up from it since we arrived.   
"Not really, I just have to have it read for tomorrow," Trowa shrugged placing it on the grass and picking up the sandwich Quatre had made 'just for him,' don't get any ideas Quatre made special sandwichs for all of us.   
"Tomorrow, what the frig course are you taking," I said nearly dropping my sandwich.   
"Trowa's in the new advanced course," Quatre put in taking a bite out of his sandwich.   
"You mean he passed that weird test."   
"By like 50 points," Heero moped from beneath the ash his Engineering course had caked him in.   
"Your kidding, I flunked it," I said trying to contain my envy.   
"Don't worry,"Quatre smiled, "Duo and I failed it. Heero missed the mark by 12 points-"   
"Don't remind me."   
"-and Wufei, come to think of it you never told us what you got on your test."   
"And I don't plan on ever telling any of you," Wufei snapped as though that statement would end the conversation. Which it did. With lunch concluded, with much more interesting chatter, and evening plans planned we all returned to class for the second installment of 'useful education.'   
Upon ending said session, Duo was just about learned out and complained his brain hurt. While the others and I exited from class with 'enlightenment'; NOT that teacher is so boring and what's with him acting all high and mighty, we're not two year olds any more... well some more then others.   
"I can't believe all the work you guys have done so far," Duo complained supporting his head on his arm. After arriving at the bar, Duo had immediatly picked up a beer and was nursing it better then a baby and a bottle.   
"Can't take it already Maxwell," I grinned taking yet another bad shot at the cue ball.   
"Don't call me that the teacher does that."   
"But I don't say it with the same sneer," I said watching Heero take his shot and kicking my butt easily, "plus I like using your last name. It has maturity." The snicker that arose from Wufei's lips gave the impression he didn't believe Duo was mature at all.   
"Don't mind him," Heero said seeing the look on Duo's face, "Wufei's not that much more mature any way." Wufei simply looked up from his 'beverage' (I never did figure out what he was drinking) and glared in Heero's direction. But Heero was too busy beating me, again at pool, to notice.   
"Where'd Trowa go," I asked looking around the room only to find Duo pouting, Wufei watching our game silently, Heero sinking yet another ball and Quatre keeping score.   
"He went outside for a smoke," Quatre shurgged off the question as though it was normal.   
"Trowa smokes?"   
"Didn't you know," Quatre replied raising an eyebrow.   
"No."   
"Oh, well he does," Quatre simply smiled and return to watching the bubbles rise in his Pepsi.   
"Since when," I persued finding this rather disturbing.   
"Since his sister died," Wufei decided to help seeing Quatre trying to back out of the conversation.   
"Sister?"   
"Yup, it was probably a year and a half ago," Wufei noded, "she had breast cancer and the kimo wasn't enough any more. She died in her sleep, poor thing."   
"That's horrible," I managed as I stared at Wufei's calm composure.   
"That's life," Quatre said finishing his drink and sounding like he was trying not to cry.   
"And smoking was the answer?"   
"More of a refuge." I turned around to find Trowa staring down at me with those green eyes seeming awfully dark.   
"Trowa, I'm sorry... I"   
"Don't worry about it," he said so calmly that the guilt inside me swelled past the size of the Titanic, "it relaxs the nerves and takes away some of the stress. I know it wasn't the smartest choice, but I am trying to quit."   
"I didn't mean to pry," I said trying not to sob while I continued to stare into the depths of his eyes held there by guilt.   
"Don't worry about it," Trowa said more forcfully then before, then cheering up the mood, "I think Heero's beat you again."   
"WHAT?"   
Laughter proceeded and continued well into the evening, but being a Friday night we wanted to get back early to avoid drunks on the roads. Piling into Heero's car, we all began a rowdy chorus of 'Get Your Freak On,' except for Heero. God he's such a cautious driver! So there we are singing our brains out like a bunch of drunks, but none of us were (except maybe Duo), and Heero listening to us with a big smile on his face.   
As he drives a car comes up the road towards us, he dims his lights, but the inconsiderate jerk coming up doesn't. _Ok fine,_ Heero think, _just another jerk who thinks he owns the road_. He lowers his eyes to keep track of the road, but as he does so the car swerves into our lane. I look out the window just in time to yell, Heero looks up, but didn't have time to pull over. The car hits us from the side, we flip over twice. The windows break around us falling like rain, cutting any exposed skin, we're all yelling, but I can only hear the silence.   
End - part 1 


	2. College Experience 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing of value to any business corporation. Only stuff that would interest Otaku fans. This does not include Gundam Wing or any other brand names I may mention. I REALLY DON'T OWN THEM! 

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AfterMath 

"Anybody awake?" the voice comes from far away, but as reality and pain set in, the voice came closer. Pain, my head throbbing... The darkness begins to grow light, but not enough to be day. The rain is falling down my face, no not rain.... Blood, my blood?!   
"Heero..?" the voice is mine, but I don't know how I've come by it.   
"Jessica," I catch a glimpse of white next to me and peering ever closer find myself staring into his eyes, "stay with me. I need you to reach my cell phone."   
"Phone..?" I look around me, but the movement makes my head feel like it's going to burst. My vision blurs, but I can see Duo out cold with a huge gash on his forehead bleeding slowly, like a small creek.   
"Yes, it's under the seat." As I go to reach under me I realize I can't feel my legs.   
"Heero, my legs!" panic begins to take me.   
"Concentrate Jessica," Heero's voice remains calm, but I can hear the fear behind it, "the dashboard is weighing down on them."   
"Jessica keep focus." This voice is not Heero's, but just as calm and fearful.   
"Wufei..."   
"It's just like those exercises in your book." Focus, feel the object with the mind first, then with the body. I reach down again, with strength in the fact that my friends need me. I feel the cold metal and plastic of the phone and pull it out.   
"I have it."   
"Good, now call 911." Trowa's voice rises from the blackness of the back seats, calm, cool and collected, but the fear is still there. I push the on button and call the number. My fingures go numb and I drop the phone. Heero grabs it from the air and speaks to the voice on the other end. The black is filling my vision and the voices begin to fade, but a moan from the back brings me back.   
"Quatre..."   
"He's okay," Trowa assures me, "but he needs help fast." So we sit there in the dark and cold, waiting. The woman on the phone said she was dispatching units to help us. To keep awake for fear of never waking, we sing quietly. Not a cheerful song like the one before, but rather a calm, and soothing one 'With Arms Wide Open' by Creed. Just as the darkness begins to come for me again, I see lights red and flashing, sirens faded by the pain in my head.   
"Hang in there just a little longer," Wufei says for his own sake as much as everyone elses. I can hear men descending the ditch and asking if we're alright. I hear another yell back for the jaws of life to pry off the dashboard. Duo is pulled from the car first, then the rest of us. I was placed on something hard and thought I've hung on long enough.   
- - - - -   
I woke up in a hospital bed, hazels eyes staring straight into mine. The brilliance that was once there was dimmed, but not forgotten.   
"Duo, you're ok."   
"Yeah, it'll take more then a bump on the head to take me out," He grinned, but not with his usual jovial feeling behind it. His face was cut in several places from the glass, but no scars would remain; his head was tightly wrapped over a large bump that was still visible through the cloth.   
"That to keep your brains in," I pointed trying to keep the mood up.   
"Yeah, what's left of it."   
"Are the others ok?"   
"Heero's legs are pretty bad, but he always makes a full recovery," Duo's face become more serious as he speaks, not the look I'm used to seeing grace his features, "Trowa's going to have a remaining scars at the back of his head and below his left ear. Quatre's wearing a neck brace because of the whiplash, but he'll pull through fine and be back to his perky self in no time. Wufei is just going to have some remaining scars like Trowa behind his head and at the back of his right ear, but the front seat twisted his ankle. They've reset it, but it will never be as strong as it once was."   
"What about the other driver?" Duo went very pale and I knew what was coming.   
"He wasn't wearing a seatbelt and on impact was thrown through the car window and rolled down the road into the ditch. He was dead when he hit the pavement."   
The weight of Duo's words felt heavier then the dashboard across my legs. I had never been that close to death or had anyone die that near to me. The experience would always haunt me, but with time it was pushed further and further to the back of my mind, always serving as a reminder.   
For all the pain, it was one of the best things that could of happened. We became quite close to one another, promising to watch out for each other and always be true to one another. I know sappy ideas huh? Well when you've been in such a situation, people become very close and take hold of life with a renewed view on how to live it.   
"Mr. Maxwell," a voice called pulling me out of my moment.   
"Yes," Duo answered cringing at the use of his last name.   
"Your friend Mr. Barton is, um," the nurse stammered for a moment, "he's well, he's making a scene."   
"Uh oh....."   
Duo dashed out of the room in a sprint and followed the nurse. Feeling better and a bit like an idiot I quickly followed after them. I caught up with them at the end of the hall, I could hear Trowa yelling. As we entered the room, Trowa was fighting off any doctor or nurse that got anywhere near him.   
"Trowa!"   
"Duo," Trowa said recognizing his friend. He looked like a frightened animal, cornered by a predator. "They killed Catherine.."   
"Trowa, they," Duo tried to grasp the words to help his friend, "it wasn't them, it was her time."   
"NO! It wasn't it couldn't have been," Trowa cried, "she was fine yesterday, healthy, happy..."   
"Yesterday...?"   
"He's delirious," Duo muttered, "Trowa calm down. They aren't going to hurt you." He approached Trowa hoping to restrain him, but was hit with the chair Trowa had been flailing madly about. The doctors started to approach Trowa again, while the nurses tended to Duo. My mind was racing, Trowa was out of control and I had to help him before he hurt anyone else, including himself. Where were Heero and Quatre when you needed them... _Hey wait a minute..!_   
"Trowa listen to me," I was standing in front of him now. I had my hands on his face, looking him square in the eyes, his whole body was shaking. "Catherine's gone, but you'll be ok. You just have to calm down, I won't let any one hurt you."   
"But Cath," Trowa nearly wept.   
"Catherine is fine," I lied, but what else was I supposed to say? I'm not sure he was even listening to me. From the corner of my eye I could see Duo coming up behind Trowa, probably to restrain him, but I waved him back. Trowa needed to be restrained, but not like that, then I saw a nurse approach with a needle, probably filled with a sedative. Much better.   
Trowa's weight hit me like a brick wall, who knew a guy that thin could weight so much. Duo seeing my legs begin to buckle, thankfully, lifted Trowa onto the bed.   
"Well that was interesting," one of the nurses sighed.   
"Is he okay?"   
"Give us a few minutes Mr. Maxwell and we'll be able to say."   
The nurses shooed us out and while Duo impatiently paced the floor, I was lead away for a finale examination.   
- - - - -   
The weather was oddly warm for the time of year it was. Nearly Thanksgiving and half the trees were still green. Duo was inside calling the cab, and I was outside basking in the remaining sunlight. I looked back inside to see Trowa, nearly in a run, coming towards the doors. The first thing he did when he was clear of the hospital was light a cigarette. I could see the tension, exhaustion and stress almost completely melt away in a matter of puffs.   
"... Sorry..." I looked up at the sudden interruption of the silence, "sorry for losing my head."   
"It's okay Trowa -"   
"No it's not," he cut me off, "I've just been edgy about hospitals ever since Catherine passed away."   
"You loved her very much," I knew it, but I hadn't realized how deep the wounds went. Trowa nodded. The silence that followed was awkward.   
"The cab'll be here in 20 minutes," Duo announced coming back outside. Duo let his smile fade for a second to add, "is everything okay?"   
"Fine." Trowa and I said simultaneously.   
"Aren't the others coming?" I quickly added to avoid more silence.   
"Well Heero's already gone to look at his insurance and new car," Duo explained with lots of hand gestures, "but Quatre needs a little more time here and Wufei needs a lot more."   
"Oh."   
- - - - -   
Quatre came home the following morning, still sporting the neck brace, but Wufei needed to continue rehab for his ankle. He's really a funny kind of guy. I mean he and I have been sharing a room for a month and a half, and only Heero is 'allowed' to visit him.   
Meanwhile I had been spending a lot of time in Heero and Trowa's room or in my room with Duo. I just didn't want to be alone.   
One night laying in my bed, surrounded by silence, I thought of the change I'd seen in the guys. Then I realized it wasn't them that had changed, it was the way I had been looking at them. They weren't cartoons and it took a car accident for that to really penetrate my skull. They get hurt, have problems that don't always turn out happily, and they're mortal, that most of all. Damn cartoon editors and their lack of stomach for blood, swearing and general violence. 

  
~~ Owari ~~ 


End file.
